Sitting in Junior's bar, I had some time to think. I had to be honest with myself, in a way I liked teaching. I had taught people in my past life and they were some of my more enjoyable memories. That was the thing though, I was feeling nostalgic.
Most of my life I was a wanderer or a soldier. I've never felt nostalgic for just about anything like that. Yet I was feeling... I sighed. Junior looked at me, "What's up with you?"
I looked back at him as he sipped some of his own drink. "Do you pay for those, or do you just count them as damages?"
Junior shrugged, "Technically I'm not even suppose to sell some of the alcohol I have due to the embargo on them. That doesn't answer the question, I'm no therapist. However when you run a club you tend to learn a thing or two about people."
I rolled my eyes, "And what have you learned about me?"
He just shrugged, "Just think about it."
Junior walked off into the noise crowd of people. It seemed he was heading toward a well dressed man trying to grab... Was that the redhead? She was at the docks. I debated about eavesdropping, but decided it was pointless I could always just ask Junior what she was doing here later.
With Junior gone I helped myself to another glass. The club had three bars, two for normal customers and the third was simply Juniors. I sighed, what was Junior talking about? I was thinking about it. I was thinking to much was the problem.
My thoughts were disturbed by a man sitting down next to me. I looked over to study the man. He looked like he was already drunk as he swayed in his seat. He had a huntsman armament on his back.
I frowned, "Who the fuck are you?"
The older man looked at me with a dead stare. "Ah, just a traveler."
Looking at his face he seemed familiar. I laughed, "Travelers don't carry armaments like that. Number two this bar is rather reserved within the club. So who are you?"
He smirked as Junior walked back over to the bar. Junior looked at the Huntsman and sighed, "Oh, its you."
I looked at Junior for an explanation and he gave me a shrug. He grabbed a bottle of liquor and poured it into a glass for the stranger. "You know Blondie don't you Mars?"
I nodded and the older man kept smirking. Junior was about to speak, but the drunk stranger spoke up finally. "I'm her Uncle." His slurred words were directed at me like I was her boyfriend. I almost laughed at the thought.
I smiled, "So you are the one that suggested Junior's bar to her?"
The Uncle paused, "Ah, no. Unfortunately she knows how to follow my tail. Which leads her to end up in trouble..."
The Uncle looked back at me, "How do you know Junior?"
I shrugged, "Came to town, wanted a drink, displayed my awesome power. You have explained who you are old man, but you still haven't told me your name."
The drunk paused, he was clearly more wasted than I thought. His shoulders slumped slightly as he rubbed his head. He looked back at me, "Ah, sorry. It's Qrow, and I know who you are. I am actually here to talk to you."
So he was here for me? "Why?"
Qrow sighed, "Something personal... My semblance is bad luck. Before you say it, no I don't think its bad luck. My semblance is literally bad luck and its always active."
I laughed, "Seems exaggerated."
Almost as if the universe was listening I felt a shift in the world. The Truth though, my bar stool snapped out of place and the mechanism that raises it's height broke. I sensed no use of aura, no feeling of his semblance. My chair just broke, I frowned stood up and walked over to a new stool.
Qrow was grinning, "I have to avoid saying Jinxes. However that did make my point. Could you use your semblance on me?"
I looked at the Qrow and sighed, "I certainly could, but I don't do things for free. I'm guessing you work for Ozpin and got a file on me?"
Qrow tilted his head, "And how did you get to that conclusion."
I took a sip of my drink, "You said you were her uncle, and I know an alcoholic when I see one. When it comes to communication, you are likely the one that reaches out and they wait to reply."
I know because I've lived like that before. Qrow seemed like an open book to me. However I had a feeling that wasn't very true. I studied him again, his aura was a reddish black that reminded me of the Grim. Off-setting his aura would be difficult enchanting him with good luck wouldn't cut it.
Qrow stared back, "What? Something on my face? Just tell me your price, I'll pay it... Somehow."
I pointed at him, "Enchanting you with good luck wouldn't off-set your semblance. You are powerful, that's reflected by your aura. Calling your semblance bad luck is an understatement. Think of it like this, -10 is bad luck, -5 is being unlucky, 0 is neutral, 5 is good luck and finally 10 is great luck. You have negative twenty luck, if we use that scale. So when I say price, I don't mean money or some ancient artifact."
Qrow paused and looked at me with a little more scrutiny. It seemed he caught on to what I was saying. I could even see the temptation of his sarcastic remark. He needed my help and didn't want to increase the price of my payment. Qrow sighed, "What do you want?"
I studied hm further and stared straight into his eyes. I asked simply, "How do you have to energy frequencies? One is clearly Aura, however you have a second more.... Elusive energy within you. Your Niece Ruby has something similar though completely different. Ruby's energy makes me uncomfortable, like I'm facing my sins. The energy in you however..."
Qrow's face was colorless and pale. He had a secret, in more ways than one. He paused put a stack of bills on the bar counter and got up. He nodded to me, "I think we should continue this else where."
A cold statement and the look in his means he might get physical. I shrugged and followed him out the door and into night. Once we were hidden within the dark he grabbed me and tried to throw me against the wall. I didn't move however as I adjusted my weight and shifted toward him.
"Don't get handsy. I don't know anything beyond what I just said. If you don't or can't pay with that information I will offer other deals. I always do, it's always more entertaining that way."
He paused and backed up he slumped to the ground as the light above us flickered and eventually shattered. Another burst of his semblance I suppose. I could see the application of it in battle if one got used to the semblance. I could tell, Qrow would kick my ass if he wasn't drunk. I would need a tight leash if I help him.
I stood over him as he contemplated his options. "I can't tell you, I swore an oath. Wh-What else do you want? If I could just end this curse! I could, I... Ugh!"
I asked, "What I ask of you depends on this question. Ozpin's goal, your work for him, what is it?"
Qrow frowned, but he gave me an answer I hadn't expected. "To save the world from a nightmare worse than any Grim."
I was flabbergasted, that wasn't a... I stood there a second and let out a half mad laugh. "Save the world? HAHAHA! Fine, I do believe it. Truly I do, Ozpin seems like the type to think the world needs saving. I just didn't expect that answer."
Qrow gave a shrug as he stared into the bricks of the wall across from him. "Even if you don't believe it, it doesn't matter. The Grim are enough of a threat to man-kind to justify it anyway."
I knew what I wanted from Qrow. I held out a hand to him, "Enchantment: Bargain." He hesitated as I smiled, "An enchantment that could create an agreement between us. You break the agreement and you will be cursed."
He still lingered, "What's the curse?"
I shrugged, "I can make it a ton of things, like amplifying your semblance instead of giving you control over it. However I think it would be far more degrading if it turns you into woman with massive tits."
He froze this time, "Wh-What?"
I smiled without a change in my expression. "It's a joke, a cheap gag. Did I scare you?" And it was a joke. Bargain couldn't do something so complex. To shift someone's gender I had to combine several enchantments at once.
Instead I told him the real cost of the deal. "I'll just make your semblance even more out of control, short and sweet. So? Are you willing?"
Qrow sighed, "The cost is fine." Qrow grabbed my hand and my semblance activated. My aura spike and his aura shifted in hue. His expression changed as he felt his semblance fade. He smiled and I knew he had no idea what was in store for him.